For the first time in its history, Rady Children’s Hospital is able to replace a child’s heart. The largest pediatric hospital in California is fulfilling its long-held goal to offer heart transplantation. This means San Diego families will no longer have to relocate to other cities for the lifesaving care their children need.
Since 2006, close to 50 of the sickest cardiac patients have been forced elsewhere to wait for a new heart. It can take up to a year to find a match. That often means siblings have to leave school, parents resign from jobs, and families face mounting living expenses. The heart transplant team at Rady Children’s Hospital, including a transplant cardiologist and two pediatric cardiac surgeons, is awaiting its first patients.
Top Docs 2014: New Hearts for the Tiniest Patients
